Pearl Harbor: An oral history by the local veterans who survived the attack

Thursday

Dec 7, 2017 at 10:48 AMDec 7, 2017 at 10:48 AM

John Penney jpenney@norwichbulletin.com, (860) 857-6965 jpenneynb

Editor's note: This story originally ran in The Bulletin on Wednesday, December 7, 2016, the 75th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor.

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On the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, the Japanese military launched a surprise attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor. On that clear Sunday morning, several Eastern Connecticut residents were assigned to ships, submarines and artillery posts in the area.

At 7:48 a.m., the base was attacked by 353 planes carrying bullets, bombs and torpedoes. There was little warning for the Americans below.

What follows is an oral history of that December morning, as recalled by local veterans in stories that appeared in The Bulletin through the years. While most of the witnesses to history that day have since died, the memories of their experiences live on.

The surprise

Putnam resident Andrew Barylski, was a sergeant assigned to U.S. Army’s Coast Artillery post across the harbor from Hickam Field. He was looking at the unit’s bulletin board, waiting to grab a cup of coffee when he heard the drone of planes.

“I was with an older veteran sergeant and I said, ‘Do you hear that?’ I looked up and saw all those planes with the red suns on their wings, then I looked back to the sergeant, but he was already gone.”

Francis “Mac” MacDonald, of Plainfield, was stationed at the U.S. Air Force’s Wheeler Field, about 17 miles from Pearl Harbor. The then-22-year-old was awakened just before 8 a.m. by the roar of low-flying planes – and then the concussive sound of explosions.

“We were totally unprepared. The planes flew so low you could practically reach out and touch them. Then they hit Pearl Harbor.”

Chester Goddette, of Jewett City, was a U.S. Army master sergeant stationed at Hickham Field. He was on duty in camp’s radio room when attack began.

“We actually thought it was a simulated attack. A lot of people ask, ‘Were you scared?’ At the time, you don’t have time to be scared. It was afterwards, when you have a chance to think about you get scared.”

“At 8 a.m., the coxswain came over the bo’s-wain pipe and said, 'We’re being bombed by the Japs and that’s no bull.' We went straight to the depth charges and disarmed them before we got blown up. (The shrapnel) was so heavy, it was like rain.”

Thomas Migliaccio, a Groton resident attached to the USS Arizona, was inside a Pearl Harbor barracks when he heard the sound of bombs exploding across the water.

“We heard a few explosions for quite a while, but we didn’t think too much of it because they were always practice bombings going on. Once I saw what was happening I wasn’t all that surprised.”

Wilbert "Tex" Dettmann, of Plainfield, was a Naval fire control technician stationed at the naval base. He said that after breakfast, he took a short walk to wait for a couple of mates. As he stood on a pier overlooking the base's fleet of destroyers, cruisers and battleships, the morning exploded.

"The alarms began sounding and I saw planes with big, red zeros begin dropping their torpedoes. I could see the pilots' grins. But I remember that the Marine color guard standing next to me didn't miss a beat while this was happening - they kept raising the flag."

The attack

The attack came in two waves launched from six Japanese aircraft carriers. For the next two hours, destroyers, carriers and men were strafed by a steel curtain of enemy fire and plunging bombs.

“The aircraft and hangars all went up in flames. I also saw some (B-17) Flying Fortresses trying to land in all that – they’d just arrived from the states.” — Barylski

”While we were disarming a charger, a Japanese torpedo plane swooped down low, the pilot waved as he strafed us, and went on to sink the battleship USS Utah. I guess he really got into it.” — Negri

Robert Holden, of Griswold, was asleep in the engine room of the USS Phoenix, when the ship began to rock.

“I saw the (USS) Arizona blow up. We could see the planes, torpedoes, bombers. It was pretty frightening. It made me not want to grow up.”

“There were two magazines on my base, each holding tons and tons of TNT … It took 840 pounds of TNT to fire one of the shells out of those 16-inch guns we had. My biggest fear was one of the magazines would be hit. The concussion alone would set off then other magazine and two of them would have taken out a good portion of the island.”— Barylski

“The (bombing) sounded like an earthquake and fireworks and everything all at once.” — MacDonald

Cecile McCloud, of Plainfield, was assigned to the battleship USS Nevada, which was hit three times by enemy fire. More than 100 of McCloud’s shipmates died in the attack. Survivors spent 14 hours dousing flames.

“We were too busy to stop and think. We’d fill any and every hatch-hole with water and keep the hoses cracking. I just didn’t know what to expect next.”

Old Lyme resident Floyd Welch, was stationed on USS Maryland, which was struck by two armor-piercing bombs during the attacks.

“We could hear something being dropped, but we imagined sandbags or something, and until we were called topside, we never had the slightest idea what was going on. I had no idea at that time what I was going to see until I came out through the hatch. To my left, the USS Oklahoma, one of the propellers was halfway sticking up out of the water and rest was just the bottom of the ship.”

“We had never been in an attack before. We had the training and when the real thing came, everyone was trigger-happy. Our only thought at the time was just fight back and defend ourselves. Our problem, though, was that we did not have enough ammunition. We were trained well, but not prepared.” – Negri

The aftermath

By the end of the attack, eight U.S. battleships were lost or damaged, as were 10 other cruisers, destroyers and other vessels. The Japanese military lost 29 aircraft, five mini-submarines and 64 men. The attack, which launched the United State’s entry into World War II, cost 2,403 American lives, including three local men: Norwich residents Harry Carlson, 19, and Mike Quarto, 23; and Groton resident William Seely, 18, all three were aboard the USS Arizona. Another 1,178 were wounded in the attack.

“By the time we got to the (North Shore outpost), there weren’t many (Japanese) planes left – just a few ditching in the harbor because they’d run out of fuel. The harbor filled with oil that was on fire. There was the smell of flesh and bombs everywhere. The attack was over. It was just luck I survived.” — Barylski

"The crew I worked with - many who were just boys - behaved like veterans. We got out of there with our fantail guns blown off, but no casualties. I still remember that voice on the com calling for more power." -- Holden

“I called my mother in New Britain to tell her I was all right. She’s a very religious person. You know, going to church every day. She was crying on the phone and saying all her prayers were answered.” — Negri

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